Treatise on Christ and Antichrist

Since you wished, beloved Theophilus, to be accurately informed on the headings I set before you, I thought it reasonable to set the matters in question before your eyes ungrudgingly, as from a holy spring, from the holy Scriptures themselves, so that you may not only take delight in storing these things up by hearing them, but may also, by tracing out the matters themselves as far as you are able, be able to glorify God in all things. Let this be from us a safe provision for your journey in this present life, so that, having taken from ready arguments things that most people find hard to understand and to grasp, you may sow them in the breadth of your heart as in rich, clean soil. By these you will put to shame those who oppose and contradict the saving word. But see that you do not entrust these things to unbelieving and blasphemous tongues, for the danger is no ordinary one; impart them rather to devout and faithful people who wish to live holily and justly with fear. For not in vain does the blessed apostle, exhorting Timothy, say: "O Timothy, guard the deposit, avoiding the profane empty talk and the contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and so have missed the mark concerning the faith." And again: "You then, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and what you heard from me through many exhortations, entrust these to faithful people, who will be able to teach others also." If, then, the blessed apostle handed on with caution these things, which could readily be known by all, because he saw in the Spirit that "not all have faith," how much greater danger shall we run if we impart the oracles of God carelessly and at random to profane and unworthy men?

For since the blessed prophets became eyes for us, foreseeing through faith the mysteries of the Word, they ministered these things also to later generations, not only telling of the past but also announcing the present and the future, so that the prophet might not be shown to be a prophet for a season only, but, foretelling the future to all generations, might be reckoned a prophet. For these fathers were equipped by the prophetic Spirit and worthily honoured by the Word himself; united to him like instruments, and having the Word always within them as a plectrum, the prophets, moved by him, announced what God willed. For they did not speak by their own power (make no mistake), nor did they proclaim what they themselves wished; but first they were rightly made wise through the Word, then they were well taught beforehand about things to come through visions, and then, being thus persuaded, they spoke what had been revealed by God to them alone but hidden from the rest. For on what ground will the prophet be called a prophet unless he foresaw the future in the Spirit? For if the prophet spoke of something that had already happened, he would not be a prophet in saying what all had before their eyes; but the one who recounts the future in detail was rightly judged a prophet. That is why the prophets were fittingly called from the beginning "the seers." Hence we too, well instructed in what they foretold, speak not from our own invention. For we do not attempt to make innovations among ourselves in the words spoken long ago; rather, bringing to light the writings in which they are recorded, we read them to those who are able to believe rightly. For a common benefit comes to both: to the speaker, that, holding them in memory, he sets out rightly what lies before him; to the hearer, that he gives his mind to what is said. Since, then, a common labour is set before both, for the speaker to declare it without fear of danger, and for the hearer to hear faithfully and receive what is said, I urge you to strive together with me in prayer to God.

Do you wish, then, to learn how the Word of God, who is again the Child of God, he who of old was the Word, revealed things long ago to the blessed prophets? Well, since the Word shows his compassion and his impartiality through all the saints, enlightening them and fitting them, like a skilled physician, to what is good for us, knowing human weakness, he tries to teach the ignorant and turns the wandering back to his own true way; by those who seek with faith he is easily found, and to those who desire to knock at the door with pure eyes and a chaste heart he opens at once. For he rejects none of his servants as unworthy of the divine mysteries: he does not prefer the rich to the poor, nor despise … for lowliness, nor reproach …, nor … ; he does not hate the female because of the disobedience that took place at the beginning, nor dishonour the male because of the transgression; but he wills all and desires to save all, wishing to make all perfect sons of God, and calling all the saints into one perfect man. For the Child of God is also one, through whom we too, receiving the regeneration through the Holy Spirit, all desire to come to one perfect and heavenly man.

For since the Word of God, being without flesh, put on the holy flesh from the holy Virgin, as a bridegroom weaving a garment for himself in the suffering of the cross, so that, blending our mortal body with his own power, and mingling the corruptible with the incorruptible and the weak with the strong, he might save perishing man. The loom, then, is the Lord's passion that took place on the cross; the warp on it is the power of the Holy Spirit; the woof is the holy flesh woven in by the Spirit; the thread is the grace which, through the love of Christ, binds and unites the two into one; the shuttles are the Word; the workers are the patriarchs and prophets, who weave the fair, full-length and perfect tunic for Christ, through whom the Word, passing through them like shuttles, weaves through them what the Father wills.

But since the time now requires us to turn to the matters before us, what has been said in the preface to the glory of God being sufficient, it is right that we lay hold of the divine Scriptures themselves and show through them what the coming of Antichrist is and of what kind; at what occasion and time the lawless one will be revealed; from where he comes, and from what tribe; what his name is, which is indicated by the number in Scripture; how he will produce error among the people, gathering them from the ends of the earth; how he will stir up tribulation and persecution against the saints; how he will glorify himself as God; what his end is; how the appearing of the Lord will be revealed from heaven; what the conflagration of the whole world is; what the glorious and heavenly kingdom of the saints is, of those who reign together with Christ; and what the punishment of the lawless by fire is.

Now, since the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God, was proclaimed beforehand as a lion because of his royal and glorious character, in the same way the Scriptures also foretold Antichrist as a lion because of his tyranny and violence. For the deceiver wants to make himself like the Son of God in everything. Christ is a lion, and Antichrist is a lion; Christ is a king, and Antichrist is a king. The Saviour was shown as a lamb, and he too will likewise appear as a lamb, though inwardly he is a wolf. The Saviour came into the world in circumcision, and he too will come likewise. The Lord sent apostles to all the nations, and he likewise will send false apostles. The Saviour gathered the scattered sheep, and he too will likewise gather the scattered people. The Lord gave a seal to those who believe in him, and he too will likewise give one. The Saviour appeared in the form of a man, and he too will come in the form of a man. The Saviour raised up and showed his holy flesh as a temple, and he will raise up the temple of stone in Jerusalem. His deceitful devices we will make plain in what follows; for now let us turn to the matter in hand.

So the blessed Jacob, in his blessings, foretelling what concerns our Lord and Saviour, speaks thus: "Judah, may your brothers praise you. Your hands shall be on the back of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down to you. Judah is a lion's whelp; from a shoot, my son, you have gone up; you lay down and slept as a lion and as a lion's whelp; who will rouse him? A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is laid up; and he will be the expectation of the nations. Binding his donkey to a vine, and the colt of his donkey to the tendril, he will wash his robe in wine, and his garment in the blood of the grape. His eyes are gladsome as from wine, and his teeth whiter than milk."

Since I know how to explain these things to you, it seems best for now to set out the words themselves. But since the words themselves urge me to speak, I will not pass this over either; for they are truly divine and glorious, and able to benefit the soul. By "a lion's whelp" the prophet meant the one born of Judah and David according to the flesh, not begotten of David's seed but conceived of the Holy Spirit, and coming forth from a holy shoot out of the earth. For Isaiah says: "A rod shall come out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall come up from it." What Isaiah called a flower, Jacob called a shoot: for first he budded, and then he flowered in the world. And the words "you lay down and slept as a lion and as a lion's whelp" indicated Christ's three-day sleep, as Isaiah too says: "How has the faithful city Zion become a harlot, full of judgment? In her righteousness slept, but now murderers." And David likewise: "I slept and fell asleep; I awoke, for the Lord will help me," to show in the saying that his sleep and resurrection took place. And Jacob says, "Who will rouse him?" This is what David says, and as Paul too says: "and God the Father, who raised him from the dead."

And by saying, "A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is laid up; and he will be the expectation of the nations," he showed (the prophecy) fulfilled in Christ. For he is our expectation: we wait for him, and through faith we see him coming from heaven with power.

"Binding his donkey to a vine": that is, binding his people of the circumcision to his own calling, for he himself was the vine. "And the colt of his donkey to the tendril": the people from the Gentiles, as he calls circumcision and uncircumcision into one faith.

"He will wash his robe in wine": (this means) the Father's voice that came down through the Holy Spirit at the Jordan. "And his garment in the blood of the grape": in the blood of what grape, then, but his flesh, hung like a cluster on the wood? From his side flowed two springs, of blood and of water, through which the nations are washed and purified; and these he is reckoned to have as a garment.

"His eyes are gladsome from wine": what are the eyes of Christ but the blessed prophets, who foresaw in the Spirit and proclaimed beforehand the sufferings that would befall him, and who rejoiced as they saw him in power with spiritual eyes, being equipped by the Word himself and his grace?

And by saying, "And his teeth whiter than milk," he signified the commandments that proceed from the holy mouth of Christ, which purify like milk.

This one, then, the Scriptures proclaimed beforehand as a lion and a lion's whelp. The like has been said also of Antichrist. For Moses speaks thus: "Dan is a lion's whelp, and he will leap out from Bashan." But lest anyone be mistaken, thinking this saying spoken of the Saviour, let him pay attention. "Dan," he says, "is a lion's whelp": by naming the tribe of Dan he made plain the tribe from which Antichrist is to be born. For as Christ is born from the tribe of Judah, so Antichrist will be born from the tribe of Dan. And that this is so, Jacob says: "Let Dan be a serpent, sitting on the ground, biting a horse's heel." Who, then, is the serpent but Antichrist, the deceiver spoken of in Genesis, who deceived Eve and struck at Adam's heel? But since what is said must be demonstrated by more testimonies, we shall not shrink from the task.

That a tyrant and king, a terrible judge, a son of the devil, is indeed to be born and to arise from the tribe of Dan, the prophet says: "Dan shall judge his people, as also one tribe in Israel." But someone will say that this was spoken of Samson, who was born of the tribe of Dan and judged the people twenty years. What happened in Samson's case happened in part; but the whole will come to pass in Antichrist. For Jeremiah too speaks thus: "From Dan we shall hear the sound of the swiftness of his horses; at the sound of the neighing of the riding of his horses the whole earth shook." And another prophet says: "He will gather all his force from the rising of the sun to its setting; those whom he has called and those whom he has not called will go with him. He will make the sea white with the sails of the ships, and the plain black with the shields of the armed men; and everyone who meets him in war will fall by the sword." That these things are said not of anyone else but of the tyrant, the shameless one, the fighter against God, we will show in what follows.

Isaiah too speaks thus: "And it shall be, when the Lord has finished doing all things on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he will bring (judgment) upon the great mind, upon the ruler of the Assyrians, and upon the height of the glory of his eyes. For he said: By my strength I will do it, and by the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations and plunder their strength; I will shake inhabited cities, and I will grasp the whole world in my hand like a nest, and take it up like abandoned eggs; and there is none who will escape me or contradict me, and open his mouth and chirp. Shall the axe be glorified without the one who hews with it? Or shall the saw be lifted up without the one who draws it? Likewise, if one lifts a rod or a piece of wood, the wood will be lifted up; and not so. But the Lord will send dishonour upon your honour, and on your glory a burning fire will burn. And the light of Israel will be a fire, and he will sanctify him in flame, and will devour the forest like grass."

And again, in another place, he says: "How the exactor has ceased, and how the taskmaster has ceased! God has broken the yoke of the rulers of sinners, he who struck a nation in wrath with an incurable blow, striking a nation with an incurable blow, which he did not spare. He has rested in confidence; the whole earth cries out with gladness. The trees of Lebanon rejoiced over you, and the cedar of Lebanon: since you have lain down, no one has come up to cut us down. Hades below was embittered at meeting you; all the giants who ruled the earth were roused together, the lords from their thrones. All the kings of the nations, all together, will answer and say: You too have been taken, as we were; you have been counted among us. Your glory has gone down to the earth, your great gladness; beneath you they will spread decay, and the worm will be your covering. How has the Morning Star fallen from heaven, he who rose early! He who sent to all the nations has been crushed to the earth. But you said in your mind: I will go up to heaven; above the stars of heaven I will set my throne; I will sit on high mountains toward the north; I will go up above the clouds; I will be like the Most High. But now you will go down to Hades, to the foundations of the earth. Those who see you will marvel at you and say: This is the man who provoked the earth, who shook kings, who made the whole world a desert and pulled down its cities, and did not release those in captivity. All the kings of the earth have lain down in honour, each in his own house; but you will be cast out on the mountains like a loathed corpse, with many fallen who were pierced with the sword, going down to Hades. As a garment soaked in blood is not clean, so neither will you be comely, because you destroyed my land and killed my people. You will not remain for ever, evil seed. Prepare your children for slaughter for the sins of your father, so that they may not rise and inherit my land."

Ezekiel likewise speaks of him thus: "Thus says the Lord God: Because your heart was lifted up, and you said, I am God, I have dwelt in the dwelling of God in the heart of the sea; yet you are a man and not God, and you have set your heart as the heart of God. Are you wiser than Daniel? Did not the wise instruct you with their knowledge? Was it by your knowledge or by your understanding that you gained power for yourself, and gold and silver in your treasuries? Was it by your great knowledge and your skill that you multiplied your power? Your heart was lifted up in your power. Therefore thus says the Lord God: Since you have set your heart as the heart of God, for this, behold, I am bringing upon you strangers, plagues from the nations, and they will draw their swords against you and against the beauty of your knowledge, and they will lay your beauty low in destruction, and they will bring you down, and you will die the death of the slain in the heart of the sea. Will you really say, I am God, before those who slay you? But you are a man and not God, in the hand of those who wound you. You will perish by the deaths of the uncircumcised at the hands of strangers; for I have spoken, says the Lord."

These words, then, having been set out, let us see in more detail what Daniel says in his visions. For in distinguishing the kingdoms that were to come after these things, he showed also the coming of Antichrist in the last times and the consummation of the whole world. So, interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's vision, he says: "You, O king, were looking, and behold, a great image standing before your face, whose head was of fine gold, its arms and shoulders of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, and its legs of iron; its feet part of iron and part of clay. You looked, then, until a stone was cut out without hands and struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and ground them to powder completely. Then the clay, the iron, the bronze, the silver and the gold were ground to powder at once, and became like dust from a summer threshing floor; and the force of the wind carried them away, and no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."

Joining to these, then, the visions of Daniel himself, we will make one account of both, showing how they agree and are true. For he speaks thus: "I, Daniel, was looking, and behold, the four winds of heaven burst upon the great sea; and four great beasts came up out of the sea, differing from one another. The first was like a lioness, and she had wings like an eagle's. I looked until her wings were plucked off, and she was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on the feet of a man, and a man's heart was given to her. And behold, a second beast, like a bear, and it stood on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth. I looked, and behold, a beast like a leopard, and it had four wings of a bird above it, and the beast had four heads. After this I looked, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; its teeth were of iron [and its claws of bronze], devouring and grinding, and trampling the rest with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns. I considered its horns, and behold, another little horn came up in their midst, and three of the horns before it were plucked up by the roots before it; and behold, eyes like a man's were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things."

"I looked until thrones were set, and the Ancient of Days sat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was a flame of fire, its wheels burning fire. A river of fire flowed before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court sat, and books were opened. I looked then, because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking, until the beast was slain and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire. And the dominion of the rest of the beasts was taken away."

"I looked in the night vision, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming; and he came as far as the Ancient of Days and was presented to him. And to him was given the dominion and the honour and the kingdom; and all the peoples, tribes, and tongues will serve him. His authority is an everlasting authority, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed."

Since, then, these things spoken in a hidden manner seem hard for some to understand, we shall conceal none of them, for the instruction of those who have a sound mind. By the lioness coming up out of the sea he signified the kingdom of the Babylonians in the world, which was the golden head of the image. By saying, "She had wings like an eagle's," (he meant) that King Nebuchadnezzar was lifted up and exalted himself against God. Then he says, "Her wings were plucked off," because his glory was brought down; for he was driven out of his kingdom. And by saying, "A man's heart was given to her, and she was made to stand on the feet of a man," (he meant) that he repented, recognizing that he was a man, and gave the glory to God.

After the lioness, then, he sees a second beast like a bear, which was the Persians; for after the Babylonians the Persians held power. By saying "three ribs in its mouth" he pointed to three nations, the Persians, the Medes, and the Babylonians, which is what was shown in the image as the silver after the gold. Then the third beast, the leopard, which was the Greeks; for after the Persians Alexander the Macedonian ruled, having overthrown Darius, as was shown in the image by the bronze. And by saying "four wings of a bird" he taught most clearly how the kingdom of Alexander was divided; for in saying "four heads" he spoke of the four kings who arose from it. For when Alexander died he divided his kingdom into four parts.

Then he says: "A fourth beast, terrible and dreadful; its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze." Who are these but the Romans? This is the iron, the kingdom that now stands; for the legs of the image are of iron. After this, beloved, what is left but the footprints of the image, in which part is of iron and part of clay, mixed with one another? By the toes of the feet he showed in a mystery the kings who are to arise from them, as Daniel says: "I considered the beast, and behold, ten horns behind it, among which another small offshoot will come up and will uproot three of those before it." This has been shown to be none other than Antichrist, who will himself also restore the kingdom of the Jews. He says three horns are uprooted by him: the three kings of Egypt, of the Libyans, and of the Ethiopians, whom he destroys in battle array; and having mastered all in terrible fashion, being a tyrant, he will bring tribulation and persecution on people, exalting himself against them. For Daniel says: "I considered the horn, and behold, that horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, until the beast was slain and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire."

Shortly the stone will come from heaven that struck the image and crushed it, removing all the kingdoms and giving the kingdom to the saints of the Most High. This is he who became a great mountain and filled the whole earth, of whom Daniel says: "I looked in the night vision, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man coming, and he came as far as the Ancient of Days and was presented; and to him was given the dominion and the honour and the kingdom, and all the peoples, tribes, and tongues will serve him; and his authority is an everlasting authority, which will not pass away, and his kingdom will not be destroyed." He pointed to all the authority given by the Father to the Son, who has been declared King and Judge of all, of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: of things in heaven, because he was the Word of the Father, begotten before all things; of things on earth, because he was born a man among men, refashioning Adam through himself; and of things under the earth, because he was also counted among the dead, preaching the gospel to the souls of the saints and conquering death by death.

Since these things, then, are to come, and the ten toes of the image are to pass into democracies, and the ten horns of the fourth beast are divided into ten kingdoms, let us look more clearly at the matters before us and consider them as if with our own eyes.

The golden head of the image, the lioness: these were the Babylonians. The silver shoulders and arms, the bear: the Persians and Medes. The bronze belly and thigh, the leopard: the Greeks who ruled from Alexander's time. The iron legs, the dreadful and terrible beast: the Romans who rule now. The footprints of the feet, clay and iron, and the ten horns: the things that are yet to be. The other little horn growing up: the Antichrist in their midst. The stone that strikes the earth and brings judgment on the world: Christ.

These things, beloved, we impart to you with fear, and yet readily, because of the surpassing love of Christ. For if the blessed prophets who came before us, though they knew these things, did not wish to proclaim them openly, so as not to trouble people's souls, but told them in a hidden way through parables and riddles, saying, "Here is the mind that has wisdom," how much greater danger shall we run if we dare to speak openly what they said in secret? Let us see, then, what will befall this unclean harlot in the last days, and what and of what kind is the partial torment that will come upon her by the wrath of God before the judgment.

Come, then, O blessed Isaiah, arise; tell us plainly what you prophesied about great Babylon. For you spoke also about Jerusalem, and it has been fulfilled. For you said openly: "Your land is desolate, your cities burned with fire; your country, strangers devour it before your eyes, and it is laid waste, overthrown by many strangers. The daughter of Zion will be left like a booth in a vineyard, and like a watchman's hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city." What then? Have not these things already happened? Have not the things you said been fulfilled? Is not their land of Judea laid waste? Has not the holy place been burned? Have not their walls been thrown down? Have not their cities been destroyed? Do not strangers devour their country? Do not the Romans rule the land? For indeed the lawless hated you and sawed you in two, and they crucified Christ. You died in the world, but you live in Christ.

Which of you, then, shall I love more than you? Yet Jeremiah too is stoned. But if I love Jeremiah more, yet Daniel too bears witness. Daniel, I praise you above all; yet John too does not lie. With how many mouths and tongues shall I glorify you, or rather the Word who spoke in you? You died with Christ, and you will live with Christ. Hear and rejoice: see, the things you spoke have been fulfilled in their time. For you saw them first, and then you proclaimed them to all generations. You ministered the oracles of God to all generations. You were called prophets so that you might be able to save all. For one is truly a prophet when, having proclaimed beforehand what is to happen, he afterwards shows that it has come to pass. You became disciples of a good teacher. I say these things to you fittingly, as to the living; for you already have the crown of life and incorruption laid up for you in heaven.

Speak to me, O blessed Daniel; give me full assurance, I beg you. You prophesy about the lioness in Babylon, for you were a captive there. You recount what was to come concerning the bear, for you were still in the world and saw it happen. Then you tell me of the leopard: and how could you know this? For you had already fallen asleep. Who taught you to speak of these things but the one who formed you from your mother's womb? God, you say. You spoke, and you did not lie. The leopard has arisen; the he-goat has come; he has struck the ram, crushed his horns, and trampled him with his feet. He was exalted; at his fall four horns arose from beneath him. Rejoice, blessed Daniel: you were not mistaken; all these things have come to pass.

After this, again, you tell me of a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful: "Its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, devouring and grinding, and trampling the rest with its feet." Already the iron rules now; already it subdues and grinds all things; already it subjects all who are unwilling; already we see these things ourselves; already we glorify God, being taught by you.

But since our task was to speak about the harlot, come forward, O blessed Isaiah; let us see what you say about Babylon. "Come down, sit on the ground, virgin daughter of Babylon; sit, daughter of the Chaldeans; no longer will you be called tender and delicate. Take a millstone, grind flour, remove your veil, uncover your grey hairs, bare your legs, pass through rivers; your shame will be uncovered, your reproaches will be seen. I will take what is just from you; I will no longer hand you over to men. He who rescued you is the Lord of hosts; the Holy One of Israel is his name. Sit pierced with grief, go into darkness, daughter of the Chaldeans; no longer will you be called the strength of a kingdom.

"I was provoked against my people; I defiled my inheritance. I gave them into your hand, but you showed them no mercy; you made the yoke heavy on the aged, and you said, I shall be ruler for ever. You did not consider these things in your heart, nor did you remember your end. But now hear this, you delicate one, who sit secure, who trust, who say in your heart: I am, and there is no other; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know bereavement. But now these two things will come upon you in one day, widowhood and childlessness. They will come upon you suddenly in your sorcery, in the great strength of your enchanters, in the hope of your fornication. For you said, I am, and there is no other. And your fornication will be your shame, because you said in your heart, I am. And destruction will come upon you, and you will not know it. [There will be a pit, and you will fall into it. And misery will come upon you, and you will not be able to become clean. And destruction will come upon you suddenly, and you will not know it.] Stand now in your enchantments and in your many sorceries, which you learned from your youth, if you can be helped. You have wearied yourself in your counsels; let the astrologers of heaven stand and save you; let those who watch the stars tell you what is to come upon you. Behold, they will all burn like brushwood in the fire, and they will not deliver their soul from the flame. Because you have coals of fire, sit on them; so they will be your help. You have wearied yourself in your trafficking from your youth; each man has gone astray on his own, but for you there is no salvation." These things Isaiah prophesies for you; let us see whether John has spoken words like them.

For he, being on the island of Patmos, sees a revelation of awesome mysteries, which he recounts ungrudgingly and so teaches others. Tell me, blessed John, apostle and disciple of the Lord, what did you see and hear about Babylon? Awake and speak, for she it was who banished you. "And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying: Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. And he carried me away into a desert in the Spirit; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, holding a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and of the unclean things of the fornication of the earth. On her forehead was a name written: Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.

"And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus; and when I saw her I wondered with great wonder. And the angel said to me: Why did you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that it was, and is not, and will be present.

"Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits; and they are seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. And the beast that was and is not [is himself an eighth], and is of the seven, and goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast. They have one mind, and they will hand over their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.

"And he says to me: The waters that you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot, and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.

"After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was lit up by his glory. And he cried out with a mighty, loud voice, saying: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit [and a prison of every unclean bird], and hated; for all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the power of her luxury. And I heard another voice from heaven saying: Come out of her, my people, so that you may not share in her sins, and from her plagues, so that … as far as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

"Pay her back as she herself paid back, and double the double according to her works; in the cup in which she mixed, mix her a double portion. As much as she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so much torment and grief give her; for in her heart she says, I sit as queen, and I am no widow, and I shall never see grief. Therefore in one day her plagues will come, death and grief and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judged her. And the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing far off for … the great city, Babylon, the mighty city; for in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more: cargo of gold and silver and precious stone and pearl, and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and all citron wood, and every vessel of ivory, and every vessel of most precious wood and bronze and iron and marble, and cinnamon and spice and incense and myrrh and frankincense, and wine and oil and fine flour and wheat, and cattle and sheep and goats, and horses and chariots and bodies, and human souls. And the fruit your soul desired has gone from you, and all the rich and splendid things have perished from you, and you will never find them again. The merchants of these things, who grew rich, will stand far off for fear of her torment, weeping and mourning and saying: Alas, alas, the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste. And every pilot, and all the company aboard the ships, and sailors, and all who work the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying: Who is like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, saying: Alas, alas, the great city, in which all who had ships on the sea grew rich from her fatness; for in one hour she has been laid waste.

"Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you angels and apostles and prophets, for God has judged your cause against her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: So with violence will Babylon the great city be thrown down, and will never be found again. And the sound of harpers and musicians and flute players and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you again; and the sound of the mill will never be heard in you again; and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived; and in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth."

Concerning the partial judgment of the torments that will come upon her in the last times at the hands of the tyrants who will then arise, it has been shown most clearly in these sayings. But we must also set out with exactness the time at which these things will happen, and how the little horn will appear among them. For when the legs of iron, which still rule now, have passed into the footprints of the feet and the toes, according to what was shown in the image and in the terrible beast, as has been indicated above, then is the time when the iron and the clay will be mixed together. Daniel will show us what lies before us. For he says: "And one week will make a covenant with many; and it shall be that in the half of the week my sacrifice and libation will be taken away." By one week, then, he signified the last week of years, which will be at the end of the whole world in the last days; and half of this week the two prophets, Enoch and Elijah, will take. For they will preach for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth, proclaiming repentance to the people and to all the nations.

For just as two comings of our Lord and Saviour were shown by the Scriptures, the first in the flesh, which was without honour because he was set at naught, as Isaiah foretold, saying: "We saw him, and he had no form nor beauty, but his form was without honour, falling short of all men; a man in affliction, and knowing how to bear sickness, [for his face was turned away,] he was dishonoured and not esteemed"; while his second coming has been proclaimed as glorious, when he will come from heaven with the host of angels and the glory of the Father, as the prophet says: "You will see a King with glory," and: "I looked, and with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man was coming, and he came as far as the Ancient of Days and was presented to him; and to him was given the dominion and the honour and the glory and the kingdom; all the tribes and tongues will serve him; his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, which will not be destroyed"; so also two forerunners were shown. The first was John, the son of Zechariah, who became in all things the forerunner and herald of our Saviour, announcing the heavenly light that appeared in the world. He was the first to run before him, from his mother's womb, conceived by Elizabeth, so that to those who are infants from their mother's womb he might show the new birth that was to be theirs through the Holy Spirit and the Virgin.

When he heard Elizabeth's greeting, he leaped for joy in his mother's womb, perceiving God the Word conceived in the womb of the Virgin. Afterwards he came preaching in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance to the people, foretelling salvation to the nations dwelling in the wilderness of the world. After this, at the Jordan, he points out the Saviour with his own eyes and says: "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." He also went ahead to preach the gospel to those in Hades, when he was put to death by Herod, becoming the forerunner there too, to make known that the Saviour would come down there as well to redeem the souls of the saints from the hand of death.

But since the Saviour was the beginning of the resurrection of all people, it was fitting that the Lord alone should rise from the dead, through whom judgment will come upon the whole world, so that those who have contended worthily may also be worthily crowned by him, the good president of the games, who first ran the course, who was taken up into the heavens and seated at the right hand of God the Father, and who will be manifested again as Judge at the consummation of the world. Necessarily his forerunners must be manifested first, as he says through Malachi, that is, the messenger: "I will send you Elijah the Tishbite before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes, who will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, lest I come and strike the earth utterly." These, then, when they come, will proclaim the appearing of Christ that is to come from heaven; and they will also perform signs and wonders, so that even in this way they may shame people and turn them to repentance, because of their surpassing lawlessness and impiety.

For John says: "And I will grant my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth": that is, the half of the week of which Daniel spoke. "These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These have authority to shut the sky, so that no rain falls during the days of their prophecy, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague as often as [they wish." And when] they finish their course and their testimony, what does the prophet say? "The beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war on them, and will conquer them and kill them," because they will not give glory to Antichrist, that is, the little horn that has sprung up. He, his heart now lifted up, begins to exalt himself and glorify himself as God, persecuting the saints and blaspheming Christ, as Daniel says: "I considered the horn, and behold, eyes like a man's in the horn, and a mouth speaking great things, and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God; and that horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, until the beast was slain and perished, and its body was given to the burning of fire."

But since we must describe him in more detail, and how the Holy Spirit indicated even his name in a hidden way through a number, we will recount what concerns him more clearly. For John speaks thus: "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and it had two horns like a lamb's, and it spoke like a dragon. And it exercised all the authority of the first beast before it, and it made the earth and those who dwell on it worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, so as even to make fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men. And it deceives those who dwell on the earth by the signs that it was granted to perform before the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image for the beast that has the wound of the sword and lived. And it was granted to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast should even speak, and should cause all who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And it makes all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one can buy or sell except the one who has the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Here is wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and its number is 666."

By the beast coming up out of the earth, then, he means the kingdom of Antichrist that is to be; and by the two horns, him and the false prophet who is with him. By saying "its horns like a lamb's," (he means) that he will make himself like the Son of God and present himself as king. By "it spoke like a dragon," that he is a deceiver and not truthful. And the words "it exercised all the authority of the first beast, and makes the earth and those who dwell on it worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed" signify that, after the law of Augustus, by whom the empire of the Romans was established, he too will command and ordain, ratifying everything by it and gaining greater glory for himself. For this is the fourth beast, whose head was struck and healed again, because it was broken up, or even dishonoured, and dissolved into ten diadems; and he, being cunning, will then, as it were, heal it and renew it. For this is what was said by the prophet: "He will give breath to the image, and the image of the beast will speak." For it will act and be strong again through the law laid down by him; "and he will cause all who will not worship the image of the beast to be killed." Here the faith and the endurance of the saints will be shown. For he says: "And he will make all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, so that no one can buy or sell except the one who has the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of its name." For being crafty and exalting himself against the servants of God, wishing to crush them and drive them out of the world, and because they do not give him glory, he will order censers to be set up by all everywhere, so that none of the saints can buy or sell unless he first offers sacrifice; for this is the mark given "on the right hand." And the words "on the forehead" mean that all are to be crowned, carrying with them a crown of fire, not of life but of death. For in this way too Antiochus Epiphanes, who became king of Syria, a descendant of Alexander of Macedon, schemed against the Jews. He too, his heart lifted up in those times, wrote a decree that all should sacrifice, "setting altars before their doors," and "walk in procession to Dionysus wreathed with ivy"; and those who would not submit were to be put to death by strangling and the torture of the rack. But he too received his due from the Lord, the righteous Judge and all-seeing God; for he was eaten by worms and departed this life. If anyone wishes to inquire into these things in detail, they are recorded in the books of the Maccabees.

But now let us speak to the matter before us. For he too will devise these things, wishing to afflict the saints in every way. For the prophet and apostle says: "Here is the mind. Let the one who has wisdom calculate the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and its number is 666." Concerning his name, it is not in our power to state it as exactly as the blessed John understood and was taught about him, but only to conjecture; for when he appears, the blessed one will show what is sought. Yet as far as we understand it, we speak with hesitation. We find many names whose letters add up to this number, such as, for example, Teitan, an ancient and glorious name, or Euanthas; for it too comes to the same number; and many others can be found. But since we said before that the wound of the first beast was healed, and that he will make the image speak, that is, it became strong, it is plain to all that those who still rule now are the Latins. Transferred, then, into the name of a single man, it becomes Lateinos. So we must neither proclaim it as though this were certainly his name, nor again fail to recognize that he may not be called otherwise; but having the mystery of God in our heart, we must with fear keep faithfully what was foretold by the blessed prophets, so that when these things come to pass we may have foreseen them and not be deceived. For as the times come on, he too of whom these things are said will be revealed.

But so that we may not persuade those who love to study the oracles of God by these sayings alone, we will show it by many other proofs. For Daniel says: "And these will be saved from his hand: Edom and Moab and the chief of the sons of Ammon." Ammon and Moab are the sons born of Lot's daughters, whose race survives until now. For Isaiah says: "And they will fly in the ships of foreigners, plundering the sea together, and those from the rising of the sun; and they will lay their hands first on Moab, and the sons of Ammon will be the first to obey."

He, then, having been revealed in those times, will go out to meet them; and having overcome in battle array three of the ten horns and uprooted them, namely Egypt, the Libyans, and the Ethiopians, and having taken their spoils and plunder, and the remaining horns, which are being harmed, having submitted to him, he will begin to be lifted up in heart and to exalt himself against God, as master of the whole world. His first onslaught will be against Tyre and Berytus and the surrounding country. For by sacking these cities first he will strike fear into the others, as Isaiah says: "Be ashamed, Sidon, said the sea; and the strength of the sea said: I have not been in labour, nor given birth, nor reared young men, nor brought up virgins. And when it is heard in Egypt, pain will seize them over Tyre."

These things being so to come, beloved, and the three horns having been cut off by him, after this he will begin to show himself as God, as Ezekiel foretold: "Because your heart was lifted up, and you said, I am God." And Isaiah likewise: "But you said in your heart: I will go up to heaven; above the stars of heaven I will set my throne; I will be like the Most High. But now you will go down to Hades, to the foundations of the earth." Likewise Ezekiel too: "Will you really say to those who slay you, I am God? But you are a man, and not God."

Since, then, his tribe, his manifestation, and his destruction have been shown through these sayings, and his name has been indicated in a hidden way, let us see also his conduct. For he will summon to himself the whole people from every land of the dispersion, making them his own as though they were his own children, promising to restore their land and to raise up again their kingdom and nation, so that he may be worshipped by them as God, as the prophet says: "He will gather his whole kingdom from the rising of the sun to its setting; those whom he has called and those whom he has not called will go with him." And Jeremiah too, using a parable about him, speaks thus: "The partridge cried out; it gathered what it did not hatch, making its wealth without judgment; in the middle of its days they will leave it, and at the end of its days it will be a fool."

It will do no harm, then, to the matter in hand to describe the trick of the creature as well, and to show that the prophet did not utter the saying without purpose when he used the parable of the creature. For the partridge is a vainglorious creature: when it sees near by the nest of another partridge with young in it, while their father has flown off to feed, it imitates the other's call and summons the young to itself; and they, thinking it to be their own father, run to it. And it prides itself on the young of another as if they were its own. But when the true father returns and cries out with its own voice, the young recognize it, leave the deceiver, and go to their true father. In the same way the prophet applied this to Antichrist: that he will summon humanity to himself, wishing to make his own what belongs to another, promising redemption to all, though unable to save himself.

He, then, having gathered to himself the people that has always been disobedient, comes at their urging to persecute the saints, who are their enemies and adversaries, as the apostle and evangelist says: "There was a judge in a city who did not fear God and had no regard for man. And there was a widow in that city who kept appealing to him, saying: Give me justice against my adversary. And for a time he would not; but afterwards he said to himself: Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will give her justice."

By the judge of unrighteousness, who neither fears God nor regards man, he means without doubt Antichrist, as being a son of the devil and a vessel of Satan; for when he has become king he will begin to exalt himself against God, neither truly fearing God nor regarding the Son of God, who is Judge of all. And by saying there was a widow in the city he signifies Jerusalem itself, which is truly a widow, left by her perfect and heavenly Bridegroom, God; she calls him her adversary and not her Saviour, not recognizing what was said by the prophet Jeremiah: "Because they disobeyed the truth, then a spirit of error will speak to this people and to Jerusalem." And Isaiah likewise: "Because the people would not drink the water of Siloam that flows gently, but (wished to have Rezin and the son of Remaliah as king over you, therefore, behold, the Lord brings up against you the water of the river, strong and abundant, the) king of the Assyrians." By the king he means Antichrist figuratively, as another prophet also says: "And this will be the peace from me, when the Assyrian comes upon your land and treads upon your mountains."

And Moses likewise, knowing beforehand that the people would thrust away and reject the true Saviour of the world, and side with error, choosing an earthly king and setting aside the heavenly one, says: "Is not all this gathered with me and sealed in my treasuries? In the day of vengeance I will repay, and in the time when their foot slips." They slipped, then, in everything, being found in agreement with the truth in nothing: not according to the law, because they became transgressors; not according to the prophets, because they killed even the prophets themselves; not according to the voice of the Gospels, because they crucified the Saviour himself; nor obeying the apostles, because they persecuted them too. Having always been plotters against and betrayers of the truth, they were found haters of God and not lovers of God; and they will then seize their opportunity, for, rising up against the servants of God, they pray to obtain vengeance from a mortal man. And he, puffed up by them, begins to send out decrees against the saints that all of them everywhere be put to death who will not revere and worship him as God, as Isaiah says: "Woe to the land, the wings of ships, beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, who sends hostages by sea and letters of papyrus (over the water, for swift messengers will go) to a nation high and lifted up, and a people foreign and harsh toward them, a nation without hope and trodden down."

But we who hope in the Son of God are persecuted and trodden down by these unbelievers. For the wings of the ships are the churches; and the sea is the world, in which the Church, like a ship on the open sea, is tossed by storms but does not perish; for she has with her the skilled pilot, Christ. And she carries in her midst the trophy over death, bearing with her the cross of the Lord. Her prow is the East, her stern the West, her hold the South; her tillers are the two Testaments; the ropes stretched around her are the love of Christ, binding the Church tight; the linen she carries with her is the washing of regeneration, which renews the believers, whence these things are bright. As … the Spirit from heaven is present, by whom those who believe in God are sealed. Iron anchors also accompany her, the holy commandments of Christ himself, strong as iron. She has sailors on the right and on the left, like holy angels sitting beside her, by whom the Church is always governed and guarded. A ladder in her, leading up on high to the yard-arm, is an image of the sign of Christ's passion, drawing the faithful to the ascent into heaven; and the topsails aloft on the yard are the rank of prophets, martyrs, and apostles who rest in the kingdom of Christ.

Concerning the tribulation of the persecution that will come upon the Church from the adversary, John too says: "And I saw a great and wonderful sign: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and being with child she cries out in labour and in torment to give birth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she bore a male son, who is to shepherd all the nations; and her child was caught up to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the desert, where she has a place prepared there by God, so that there they may nourish her for one thousand two hundred and sixty days. And then the dragon, seeing it, pursued the woman who had borne the male child; and the woman was given two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly into the desert, where she is nourished there for a time and times and half a time, away from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast (water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might make her swept away by the river; and the earth helped the woman, and opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the serpent cast) out of his mouth. And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war with the saints of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus."

By the woman clothed with the sun, then, he most clearly meant the Church, clothed with the Word of the Father, who shines brighter than the sun. By saying "the moon under her feet" (he meant) that she is adorned with heavenly glory like the moon. By saying "on her head a crown of twelve stars" he indicates the twelve apostles, through whom the Church was founded. "And being with child she cries out in labour and in torment to give birth": because the Church will not cease to bear from her heart the Word, who is persecuted in the world by unbelievers. "And she bore," he says, "a male son, who is to shepherd all the nations": always bearing the male and perfect Christ, the Child of God, proclaimed God and man, the Church teaches all the nations. And the words "her child was caught up to God and to his throne" (mean) that he who is always born through her is a heavenly king and not an earthly one, as David also foretold, saying: "The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet." "And the dragon saw," he says, "and pursued the woman who had borne the male child; and the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she might fly into the desert, where she is nourished there for a time and times and half a time, away from the face of the serpent." These are the one thousand two hundred and sixty days, the half of the week, which the tyrant will hold, persecuting the Church as she flees from city to city and hides in the desert among the mountains, having nothing else with her but the two wings of the great eagle, that is, faith in Jesus Christ, who, stretching out his holy hands on the holy wood, spread out two wings, the right and the left, calling to himself all who believe in him and sheltering them as a bird shelters its young. For through Malachi too he says: "And for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness will rise, and healing in his wings."

And the Lord too says: "When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those in Judea flee to the mountains; and let the one on the housetop not come down to take his cloak, and let the one in the field not turn back to take anything from his house. And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days; for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world; and if those days had not been cut short, no flesh would have been saved." And Daniel says: "And they will set up the abomination of desolation for one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is the one who endures and reaches one thousand two hundred and ninety-five days."

And the blessed Paul the apostle, writing to the Thessalonians, says: "We ask you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letters as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way; for (it will not come) unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he seats himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what restrains, so that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only the one who now restrains (will do so) until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the appearing of his coming; the one whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of unrighteousness among those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth. And for this reason God will send them a working of error, so that they believe the lie, in order that all may be judged who did not believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness." And Isaiah says: "Let the ungodly be taken away, so that he may not see the glory of the Lord."

These things, then, being about to come to pass, beloved, the one week having been divided into two, the abomination of desolation having then appeared, the two prophets and forerunners of the Lord having finished their own course, and the whole world now coming to its consummation, what remains but the appearing from heaven of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is God, in whom we have hoped, who will bring the conflagration and righteous judgment upon all who have disobeyed him? For the Lord says: "When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption has drawn near. And not a hair of your head will perish. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered." The fall took place in paradise, for Adam fell there. And again he says: "Then the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather his elect from the four winds of heaven." And David, foretelling the judgment and the appearing of the Lord, says: "His going forth is from the end of heaven, and his circuit to the end of heaven; and there is none who will be hidden from his heat." By the heat he means the conflagration. And Isaiah thus: "Go, my people, enter your chamber, shut your door, hide yourself for a little while until the wrath of the Lord has passed." And Paul likewise: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and lawlessness of men who hold down the truth of God in unrighteousness."

Concerning the resurrection and the kingdom of the saints, Daniel says: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will rise, some to everlasting life [and some to reproach and everlasting shame]." Isaiah says: "The dead will rise, and those in the tombs will be raised, for the dew from you is healing to them." The Lord says: "Many in that day will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." And the prophet says: "Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." And John says: "Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection; over him the second death has no authority." For the second death is the lake of burning fire. And again the Lord says: "Then the righteous will shine as the sun shines in its glory." And to the saints he will say: "Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." But to the lawless what does he say? "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, which my Father prepared." And John says: "Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the sexually immoral and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who does and loves falsehood"; for your portion is in the Gehenna of fire. And likewise Isaiah says: "And they will go out and see the limbs of those who transgressed against me; and their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be a spectacle to all flesh."

And Paul the apostle, writing to the Thessalonians about the resurrection of the righteous, says: "We do not want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve as the rest do who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep; for the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a command, with a voice … and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord."

These things I have set before you, Theophilus, drawing them briefly, so that, keeping with faith what is written and foreseeing what is to come, you may keep yourself without offence both to God and to men, "awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of our God and Saviour," when, having raised our saints, he will rejoice with them, glorifying the Father. To him be the glory to the endless ages of ages. Amen.